Who Has a More Promising Future: Madison Keys or Sloane Stephens?

Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens will play each other for the first time today at the Miami Open. It's a showdown between two next-generation American stars. Which star has the brighter future?  

No matter who wins this first meeting, the two can expect comparisons for the foreseeable future.

A pair of millennials, Keys, 20, and Stephens, 22, were born just two years apart. Stephens' early success on the WTA Tour put her under the media's microscope sooner. 

Keys, No. 18, has overtaken Stephens, No. 45, in the rankings. 

After defeating Keys in the semifinals of the 2015 Australia Open, Serena Williams talked with reporters about the young American's potential. "I think she can be the best in the world. The way she played today I definitely think she has potential to be No. 1 and win Grand Slams. It's exciting to see."

Stephens caught everyone's attention when she upset Williams in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Australian Open. 

So many talented players arrive in the spotlight, only to have the rigors of the tour and the hype machine grind them into obscurity. Melanie Oudin and Laura Robson come to mind. Even Eugenie Bouchard is finding the tour a tough place these days.

Keys and Stephens have the talent to enjoy long productive and profitable careers. But who has the more promising future?

Results and Records

Keys has been on a steady rise in the rankings. She is 8-4 this year and has one career title. She is No. 10 in points earned this year. Stephens, once ranked as high as No. 11, suffered through a slump in 2014. She is 5-5 this year and has no career titles. Stephens is No. 77 in points earned this year. Up until her run at Indian Wells, she was No. 177.

Winner: Keys

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Style of Play

Keys and Stephens possess easy power and can end points with devastating forehands. Stephens appears to be the quicker of the two. However, Keys is more efficient in her movement.

The biggest difference in their game is variety. Keys is far more comfortable coming in to the net. She can even serve and volley. Speaking of her serve, Keys has 77 aces this year and 30 double faults. This year, Keys is ranked among the top 10 in number of aces, percentage of first serves won and percentage of service games won. 

Meanwhile, Stephens has 23 double faults to 15 aces. Stephens seems to fear coming to the net. Although she can play aggressively from the baseline, too often Stephens hesitates on short balls, allowing her opponent time to react. 

Winner: Keys

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Mental Toughness

Both players display big-point jitters and are prone to caving under pressure. Keys gave up a 3-1 lead in the decisive set against Jelena Jankovic at Indian Wells. Jankovic stormed back to win the third set, 6-3.

Stephens' 2014 season was filled with miserable outings of 40-plus unforced errors. More susceptible to meltdowns and letdowns, Stephens' play can swing from awesome to erratic in one game. 

Keys showed mental toughness when she fought off nine match points against Williams in the semifinal of the Australian Open. In similar tests, when facing elimination, Stephens has faded away. 

Winner: Keys

Big Stage

Keys has had fewer big stage moments. Stephens upset Maria Sharapova in Cincinnati in 2013. She upset Williams in the Australian Open in 2012. The bigger the moment, the better Stephens seems to play. 

As Keys plays more top players, her game against them could improve. 

Winner: Stephens

Media Savvy

Both ladies know how to turn on the smile and the charm. However, Stephens falters when she turns petulant and petty. Her unrestrained personality is a gold mine for headline-seeking journalists. In a 2014 interview with Elle magazine, Stephens engaged in a bit of "over-sharing." With boyfriend Jack Sock present, Stephens talked about a gynecological visit.  

She famously slammed Serena and Venus Williams in an ESPN magazine interview for not signing her poster when she was 12. More recently she spoke with the press about her war of words with Serena Williams' Twitter followers. 

Keys, on the other hand, has a relaxed manner with the press. She takes a laid-back approach to answering questions and refrains from trash talk. She did cause somewhat of a stir recently when she tweeted about being puzzled by the buzz surrounding news that Zayn Malik left the One Direction. In many circles, Keys' lack of knowledge about boy bands could be seen as a positive. 

Keys keeps her responses positive and has managed to avoid putting her foot in her mouth. 

Winner: Keys

Both of these women are young and have time to tweak their games. However, Keys appears the more steady of the two players. She also seems more focused. Since taking on Lindsay Davenport as coach, Keys has shown marked improvement. 

Stephens is on her third coach in a year. She briefly worked with Paul Annacone, the former coach for Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, and Thomas Hogstedt, who once coached Sharapova. 

If they stay healthy, both ladies should remain competitive and relevant over the next few years. Yet based on how they are playing now, Keys is likely to be hoisting more trophies. 

Chris Evert told the WTA that she believes Keys is Grand Slam ready. "Because of her serve, because of her return, her long reach. I think Madison definitely could be a contender for Wimbledon, absolutely, this year."